Writer's block, o' writer's block; why doest thou plague me?

Urgh, this chapter (and the next one...) are giving me the blues. I'm just glad that I'm finally done with this one.

Hope you guys enjoy!

~~~~~

It was an odd experience, watching a crowd applaud one's art without ever knowing that said artist was right in front of them the whole time.

Morro mused on this peculiar feeling as he floated above and slightly behind Sensei Garmadon, waiting for the applause to die down. Something resembling pride made the corners of his lips quirk up in a small smile. Yet there was a small, unmistakable hint of melancholy to it too, that weighed heavily in his chest.

He wasn't quite sure what the emotion he was feeling was, but it overall had a bittersweet quality to it.

It probably said a lot of how far he'd come in the past year, when he decided to acknowledge the bitterness, but let it float away instead of clinging to it.

Spinjitzu damn it, he really was going soft the longer he remained a ghost...

Ah, well. Cole and the others would probably be proud.

Speaking of...

"That was soooo cool!" Jay gushed as he and the rest of the ninja walked up to him and Garmadon. "The story was awesome, your story-telling voice was so good, and Morro using the wind to move the smoke into figures was just....ahhh! It was so cool!"

"Pretty sure you said that already, Bluebell," Morro snarked, but the warm feeling of pride grew stronger at the compliment.

"It was a good show," Nya said, coming to her boyfriend's defense.

"Indeed," Zane concurred. "It was quite enjoyable. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time."

"Yeah," Cole added. "You both should feel proud."

Morro huffed out a laugh, flipping his hair in an arrogant fashion. "Eh, it was a chance to show off my awesome skills. How could I say no?"

Kai snorted. "Of course the opportunity to show off would make you forget that Sensei scared the shit out of you."

Morro's smile dropped and he glared at Kai. "Fucking watch it, Porcupine. I remember you screaming like a little girl."

"Language," Cole scolded. "C'mon, you two. Can't you go two minutes without insulting each other?"

"No."

"Doubt it."

Morro and Kai shared a glance, and smirked at each other. Cole sighed and rolled his eyes while everyone else just laughed. "Should've seen that coming, Cole," Nya teased.

"I should've," Cole groaned, shaking his head. "And yet..."

Everyone shared a laugh at that.

"So Dad," Lloyd said once the chuckles had died down some. "Was that actually a true story? Did Grandfather really help fight off an army of revived ghosts?"

"Hearing you refer to the FSM as your granddad is so fucking weird," Kai shook his head.

"Language," Cole scolded.

Sensei Garmadon ignored the small interaction, instead smiling at his curious son. "While I have personally never been to the fabled village of Stiix," he said cryptically. "I have often heard my father tell the tale of the battle that took place there." The former dark lord tapped the side of his nose. "In fact, if memory serves me right, he had a scar on his face that he had received in that very battle."

The ninja let out a small, collective gasp at that. Even Morro found himself intrigued.

"Was it..." Cole rubbed at his own scar. "Was it like mine?"

Sensei Garmadon shrugged. "I'm afraid I can't confirm that. However, I believe I remember a few moments from my childhood where it seemed to have an odd glow about it."

He shook his head. "Regardless, there was a reason I thought that this story was an appropriate one to tell tonight."

"Is it because the Yin Eclipse is occurring this year?" Zane asked.

A serious light entered Sensei Garmadon's eyes even as he smiled. "There is that... but there is another reason." He gestured towards the monastery. "Follow me."

~~~~~

Sensei Garmadon ended up leading them to a room on the eastern side of the monastery. The room-which served as a sort-of office for any of the students to seek him out between classes-had two sliding doors that Garmadon opened with a gentle swoosh. Inside, there was a mat in the center, with several small cushions surrounding it. Lining the walls were several cabinets-some like dressers that held clothes, others more resembling weapon cabinets-and a small writing desk, which had been tucked in the back left corner. A few smaller desks with candles and incense holders and a tall potted bamboo plant (a small yellow sticky note cheerfully declared its name to be 'Bendy the Bamboo') completed the look, making the room seem warm and welcoming.

"Alright Garmadad," Morro drawled once everyone was inside. "You gonna show us what you dragged us here to see or are you gonna keep dragging it out?"

"Patience, young one," Sensei Garmadon gently chided as he walked over to one of the cabinets and fiddled with its lock. "I am getting there."

"At what, the speed of a tired snail?" Morro rolled his eyes. "Drama queens, this whole family."

Kai snickered. "Hello kettle, I'm pot."

"Fuck you, Porcupine! I am NOT like that!"

"Dude, the whole reason I can see you is because you went out of your way to scare me."

Morro scoffed. "I was just getting you back for upsetting Brookstone-wait," he broke off when he noticed the red ninja's smug smirk. "Ohhh, you piece of shit-"

"Awwww," Cole cooed, pulling the ghost into a hug. "I knew you cared about me!"

"Let GO of me, you overly-sentimental clod of dirt! I do NOT do hugs!"

"Not helping your 'I'm not dramatic' stance, my guy."

"Fuck off Porcupine!"

Garmadon waited for them to settle down-Morro wiggled out of Cole's hug and floated up higher to prevent another incident-before opening the cabinet door and stepping aside.

The ninja crowded around the cabinet...and let out gasps of shock when they saw what was inside of it. "Dad," Lloyd said, eyes wide. "Is...Is that..."

Garmadon's expression was very grave. "It is," he confirmed. "Look well, pupils. For this...this is the fabled Yang Blade."

For a weapon almost millennia old, Morro had to admit that it was still a formidable weapon. The handle of the weapon seemed to gleam even in the dim light of the room. The teardrop-shaped blade glowed a menacing jade green, its jagged edges looking wicked-sharp and newly made even after all these years.

The Yang Blade was truly something to behold.

The only thing that ruined the image slightly was the large crack in the blade, a white seam that ran from the tip to the middle before spreading out into smaller cracks like a spiderweb.

"It's cracked?" Cole mumbled, unintentionally echoing Morro's thoughts.

"How'd that happen?" Jay asked, leaning closer to inspect the blade.

"According to my father," Sensei Garmadon replied. "It was like that when he retrieved the Blade. Whether that was due to the act of the portal overpowering the integrity of the gem, or something else, he never told me."

"Does it still work, even with the crack?" Zane questioned. "My scanners are picking up an unusual amount of energy emanating from the blade of this weapon, but is it enough to actually tear through the fabric that separates the realms?'

"Yes," Sensei Garmadon said immediately. "Make no mistake, this Blade is exceedingly powerful, even damaged like this. The only reason Father didn't immediately destroy it is because it is damaged."

"Uh, I don't follow," Jay admitted.

Zane titled his head a little. "I think I do. My scanners have noticed that the energy levels from the Blade are slowly, but steadily decreasing. Even now, in the short time since I first noticed the energy, it has decreased by about 0.0001%. Barely noticeable, given how much is still there, but overtime, it's not negligible."

"Precisely," Sensei Garmadon said. "My father predicted that as long as no one used the Blade by the next Yin Eclipse, the damage will ensure that the Yang Blade will be useless before another one could occur." His expression grew grim for a second. "And in the worst of scenarios, if anyone did try to use the Blade during this year's Yin Eclipse, the damage would be severe enough, and the energy depleted enough, that the Blade will break after its use."

"So either way, the Yang Blade would only be able to be used at most once more," Cole summarized.

Morro made a face. "I still would've destroyed the damn thing," he said. "There's too much that could go wrong with that..."

Sensei Garmadon inclined his head. "You have a point," he acknowledged. "My father, however, felt that the Yang Blade would serve as an important piece of Ninjago's history, once its power had been depleted and it could no longer be used to bring harm. He asked my brother and I to guard it until that day, then find a place to put it so that no one would forget its power." He frowned thoughtfully. "I, personally, thought the same could be achieved with a non-functioning replica-"

"THANK you!"

"-but, at the time, I was too happy with the fact that my father trusted me with anything this important." Sensei Garmadon's expression grew somber as he absently rubbed the back of his hand, where two pale, circular scars stood out. Lloyd noticed and stepped closer to his dad, giving him a small sideways hug. Sensei Garmadon smiled fondly at his son, and returned the hug.

"...okay, so you have to guard this thing until after Day of the Departed," Kai slowly drawled. "What about us? Why tell us this?"

Morro had a suspicion and he chose to voice it. "You want us to help you guard it."

"Yes," Garmadon confirmed, nodding gravely. "My brother didn't want to bother you all with this, but I think it's crucial you know."

"Know what?" Nya asked.

"That we-that I strongly suspect that there are currently forces out there that are plotting to steal the Yang Blade before the Yin Eclipse." Garmadon's eyes narrowed. "Ghostly forces."

A chill ran down Morro's spine and he fought to not shiver. The others looked horrified. "Ghosts?" Cole said, his face pale. "Like, really bad ghosts?"

"If my suspicions are true, then these ghosts would be more than just 'really bad'." The former dark lord cast them all a severe look. "They would be extremely twisted souls, from the worst realm imaginable..."

"...The Cursed Realm," Morro finished, something like dread pooling in his stomach.

The others weren't much better. Everyone had turned a shade paler; Cole murmured what sounded like a short prayer in Spanish while Kai swore softly. "How?!" the red ninja demanded. "Aren't those spirits sealed away in the Cursed Realm? As in, they can never escape, ever?"

"The power that my father used to keep those in the Cursed Realm contained is quite powerful, but it is not infallible," Garmadon said, grimacing. "While it does not tear quite as often nor as severely as it did in my father's day, rifts still form every now and again. With Day of the Departed around the corner, as well as the Yin Eclipse, the fabric between the realms is the thinnest it has been in a millennium. Excuse the cliche, but...there's a kind of magic in the air. It would not shock me if some of the twisted souls in the Cursed Realm took advantage of this in order to steal the Yang Blade."

"And if they manage to succeed..." Zane trailed off.

"They're probably not going to be here for a fucking tea party," Morro said, his attempt at a cutting joke falling flat on its face.

"Precisely." Garmadon closed the cabinet's doors, concealing the Blade from sight. "My brother might think that he and I are enough, but I have my doubts." He smiled wryly. "I'm afraid I'm not as young as I used to be."

"So you need our help to guard the Yang Blade," Lloyd said. "To protect it from evil ghosts." The young Green Ninja shook himself, adopting a serious stance. "Right, ok. I'm in. Everyone else?"

"Right behind you little brother," Kai replied immediately.

"Ditto," Nya agreed.

"I'm in!" Jay chirped.

"I've got your back," Cole nodded firmly.

"As do I," Zane chimed in.

Morro scoffed. "As if you can stop me from kicking butt. What do you need us to do, Garmadad?"

The former dark lord's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly and he smiled in relief. "First things first, you all will need new weapons and gi. As I'm sure you've noticed, a ghost can phase through any weapon made of wood, steel, or other normal materials. And normal armor will do nothing to protect you from a ghost. I have had special equipment made for you." He went to a separate cabinet, opening it and revealing several weapons and gi.

"Each gi and weapon is made with a special material called Deepstone," Garmadon explained, picking up the gi. "It is one of the only two items that my father knew of that could prevent a ghost from taking possession of a living body."

"One of two? What's the other one?" Nya asked curiously.

"More importantly, ghosts can actually possess people?!" Jay exclaimed, looking fearful.

Sensei Garmadon smiled slightly. "To answer the first question, the other material is titanium. I understand that some of your frame," he nodded at Zane, "contains a titanium alloy. However, I do not think it would stand against much more than a weak ghost, so I elected to make your gi out of Deepstone as well."

Zane said nothing, but nodded his thanks.

"As for the latter question, I'm surprised that you all do not know this."

"Well, Morro's never possessed anyone as far as I know. Have you?" Cole asked the ghost.

Morro made a face. "Not since I was relatively new at being a ghost. I didn't want to try with people, so I tried with animals first."

"What happened?"

"I possessed a cat..."

There was a beat of silence. "Wait, that's it?" Kai demanded when Morro didn't elaborate. "You possessed a cat and what? Got scared and never tried again?!"

"Hey, cats are fucking evil!" Morro snapped, his cheeks turned jade-green. "YOU try listening to one's thoughts and wanting to possess another thinking creature again!"

"So you've never possessed a person?" Cole interjected.

"Nope, never tried." Morro tilted his head a little. "Kinda wondered what it'd be like, but after that fucking cat..." he shuddered.

"...do you want to try?"

"Oh, oh! Try it with me!" Lloyd said, raising his hand.

"Really? You're the one who once wanted Brookstone to kick my ass if I ever possessed you."

"Okay one, I was like, twelve when I said that-"

"You say that like you didn't have a magic-girl transformation into a sixteen-year-old," Kai grumbled.

"TWO," Lloyd continued, glaring at Kai. "I think it would be cool!"

Morro considered then shrugged. "Well, if you're sure..." He floated over to the green ninja. "Okay, now hold still. And try not to fight me, yeah?"

Before anyone could object, the ghost leapt right at Lloyd, and phased into him.

Lloyd stumbled back a little. A few seconds later, he started groaning, bending over and grabbing at his head.

"Lloyd!" Almost everyone gasped. Kai made a step towards his little brother, but paused when Lloyd shook his head, giving a shaky thumbs-up. The green ninja let in a slow inhale, followed by an equally slow exhale. As he exhaled, everyone watched as his blond hair slowly changed to jet-black. His eyebrows quickly followed, and his skin grew deathly pale. The corners of his eyes pinched upwards, and when he blinked them open, they were more of a mossy-green than bright emerald.

"...Morro?" Cole questioned.

'Lloyd' blinked, face pulling into a grimace. "Okay, this is really fucking weird," he said, his voice echoey and mostly like Lloyd's but with undertones of Morro's voice. "One sec..." He coughed harshly, shaking his head a little. "Cherry blossom, cherry blossom-ah," his voice dropped, suddenly much more like Morro's. "There we go."

"...dude," Kai shuddered. "That's really creepy."

"Is Lloyd alright?" Zane asked.

"Oh yeah," Morro flapped Lloyd's hand. "Pipsqueak's fine. He's literally just screeching 'THIS IS SO COOL!!' right now." He glared for a second. "Quit, by the way. It's distracting." A second passed before Morro gasped indignantly. "RUDE!" he spluttered. "See if I ever do you another fucking favor again!"

"This looks so weird from the outside," Jay whispered to Nya, who nodded in agreement.

"What'd he do?" Cole asked.

"He blew a freaking raspberry at me! Fucking ingrate. Actually, wait..." Morro lifted Lloyd's left hand and concentrated. A small ball of green energy flickered into existence in the palm. "HAH! Take that, Wu! Who's not the green ninja now?!"

Kai rolled his eyes. "You're so petty."

"Oh fuck off, I've waited years for this, let me have this moment."

Garmadon smiled slightly. "While I'm sure you are having fun, and we appreciate the demonstration, I think it would be best if you allowed my son to regain control of his body."

"Ugh, fiiiiine."

'Lloyd' gave a full body shudder. A green light flashed, and Morro suddenly appeared behind the young green ninja. Lloyd stumbled, but managed to keep upright. "Blergh," he shook his head. "That felt weird. Pretty cool experience, but ack, uncomfortable. Do you always feel that numb?"

"My afterlife is an empty black abyss," Morro droned, tone and expression deadpan. "I feel nothing, physically or emotionally."

Lloyd raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "You're ticklish. Even now."

Morro blushed and punched Lloyd in the shoulder. "Fuck you Pipsqueak!"

"If you are quite done," Garmadon said, an amused smile on his face. "As you have all seen, it's usually easy to tell when a ghost has possessed a person. A more powerful ghost-or, rather, a ghost more used to possessing others-has the ability to temporarily look exactly like the person they have possessed. That is why it is imperative that you all receive new gi and weapons-to protect yourself and to be able to fight back. Allow me to hand them out..."

One-by-one, Garmadon handed out the new uniforms. First to Lloyd, then Cole, Kai, Jay, Zane...

Then, he turned to Nya.

His hands were empty.

"Lemme guess," Nya said before Garmadon could even open his mouth. Her mouth was twisted into a bitter smile. "'I'm not ready' or 'I'm better off as a samurai'?"

The others stiffened, and Kai looked murderous. Morro was the only exception, simply huffing and flipping himself upside-down in the air.

Garmadon didn't look upset at the snide remark. His expression was understanding and even a little sad. "I do not blame you for thinking such things, young Nya," he said. "But please consider: I have been teaching you in secret for many months now. Would I really do you the disservice of publicly snubbing you?"

Nya flinched at the gentle reprimand. "...sorry, Sensei," she apologized, bowing deeply. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."

Garmadon gently tapped her shoulder, waiting for her to rise. "As I've said, I do not blame you for your reaction. I know how my brother's actions have hurt you, and I do not hold it against you." He smiled and moved past her, towards the dresser in the corner. "In fact," he said, reaching out and pulling out the middle drawer. "Consider this the first step of many in rectifying those past transgressions."

He beckoned them closer, and everyone huddled around the drawer. Nya gasped, hands flying to her mouth. The others looked just as awed and excited as she was.

Morro merely smirked.

Sitting in the drawer, side-by-side, were two ninja gis. The one on the left looked similar to the ones the others had just received, black with light blue highlights and the symbols for water decorating it. The one on the right could almost be considered fancy. While it also had light blue highlights and water symbols, this gi was mostly a cool magenta in color, and seemed to be modeled after the boys' current uniforms.

Nya reached out a hesitant hand towards the magenta gi. She gently ran her fingers over it, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "They're beautiful," she whispered. "They're...mine?"

Morro scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No Princess, he had them made for himself. Of course they're fucking yours!"

Kai's eyes narrowed. "Wait..." He whirled to face the ghost. "You knew about this!"

"Um, duh. I told you losers that Garmadad was just waiting for the perfect moment to give Princess her gi."

"Indeed," Garmadon added, a slightly mischievous smile spreading over his face. "I actually asked Morro for some advice and input on your gi's design."

"Really?" Nya turned towards the ghost, who had just discovered an interesting spot in the corner to study. "Aww, Morro..."

"Indeed. It was he who suggested that one of them," he pointed at the magenta gi. "be modeled after the one worn by the previous Master of Water."

Nya gasped, and Kai inhaled sharply, both turning to look at the gi again. "Mom...Mom wore this?" Nya asked, her voice wavering.

"Not this exact uniform, but it looked very similar," Garmadon replied.

The female samurai seemed at a loss for words, Kai coming up to give her a hug. "I..." She turned to face Morro again, who was still finding the corner fascinating. "Thank you. Thank you."

Morro shrugged. "It was nothing, Princess," he replied, his nonchalant tone at odds with the light blush spreading across his cheeks. "Besides, if anyone deserves to have an awesome gi made, it's you."

"He's right, sis," Kai said, giving Nya a small squeeze, smiling widely and looking as though he was holding back tears. "Congrats on officially being a ninja!"

There were cheers all around at that. Lloyd hugged his sister in-all-but-blood while Jay managed to sneak his girlfriend a kiss. Even Sensei Garmadon applauded, smiling proudly.

Tears streamed down Nya's face, but she was beaming like the sun. "Thanks you guys," she said, sniffling and wiping at her eyes. "I-I don't know what to say..."

"You have more than earned it, young one," Garmadon said, taking both gi out of the drawer and offering them to her. "I am honored to have been your sensei...Master Nya."

That set them off cheering again. Kai wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that he was crying, full of nothing but pride for his sister.

Nya took both gi in her hands and hugged them to her chest, too overwhelmed for words.

Morro, smirking, floated over to her and gently ruffled her hair with a breeze. "Well done, Princess," he said.

Then, quieter, so only Nya heard him:

"Proud of you....little sister."

~~~~~

*Edit 7/19/22 -- Apparently it's Deepstone that protects against ghosts, not Vengestone. My bad! Should be fixed now.

(In my defense, it's been a hot minute since I've watched Ninjago, and in my brain Vengestone sounded way cooler and more fitting. Ah well, live and learn!)

Master of Water Nya!!!! It's official!!!! :D

I've had that last scene written for sooooooo long, I'm so glad I can finally post it for y'all to read! :D

The scene where Morro possesses Lloyd was written more recently, but I still find it equally hilarious. The thing where Morro possesses a cat is based off of a thing my friend irl sent me from tumblr. I can't find the picture atm but trust me, it's really funny. XD

Morro saying 'cherry blossom' is based off of a vocal exercise I used to do to warm up before singing or giving a speech. Course, for me it was 'Topeka, Kansas' but I don't think Kansas exists in Ninjago XD

Ok, HOPEFULLY the next one won't take me as long, but no promises...